Accenture has acquired the New Energy Group, a Southern European based group of companies focused on supporting enterprise companies with Salesforce and cloud applications. The deal, the value of which has not been disclosed, sees around 450 professionals transfer to Accenture’s Accenture Cloud First Applications team.

The New Energy Group (NEG) was established in 2005. NEG is composed of four companies that offer a range of consultancy services related to System Integration into CRM, WEB application and Digital Marketing environments. The company, which has seven offices spread across Southern Europe and London, serves large enterprise clients in the areas of Media, TLC, Utility, Banking & Insurance, Fashion and other Industry sectors. NEG employs around 450 professionals, many of whom are specialised in Salesforce solutions, spread across its four businesses: New Energy Salesforce and Mind, which are both based in Italy; Aborda in Spain; and Bit2win, which houses a range of products and solutions based on Salesforce for the Group.

The acquisition of NEG by Accenture is aimed at further solidifying the firm’s position in the field of Salesforce solutions in Italy and Spain, as well as boosting its services capabilities for its international client base. Following the closure of customary conditions surrounding the deal, the Group is to be integrated into Accenture’s Accenture Cloud First Applications team, which is focused on “pure play” cloud systems from, among others, Salesforce, Workday, ServiceNow, Google, Pegasystems. The value of the deal is not disclosed.

Saideep Raj, Managing Director, Cloud First Applications, Accenture, says, “We continue to invest in our Cloud First agenda and expand our capabilities in Europe, as evidenced by our agreement to acquire New Energy Group, which will reinforce Accenture’s position as a leading provider of Salesforce capabilities in Italy and Spain. By integrating New Energy Group’s people and assets with ours, we will grow the best cloud talent in Europe and around the world to provide clients with unmatched cloud services and digital capabilities. As a result of this acquisition, Accenture will continue to lead in the new era of service delivery and flexibility, where applications, infrastructure and business processes are brought together and delivered As-a-Service.”

Giuseppe Mammola, the founder and CEO of the NEG, says that the firm is “proud” to be joining Accenture and that the combination will allow the company to better use its skilled and innovative capabilities to service clients through Accenture’s global scale. Mammola adds, “Our focus on cloud and digital transformation will be empowered and will offer our clients unmatched opportunities to realise the full potential of the ‘As-a-Service’ economy. Our Bit2win software suite will be enhanced by Accenture’s industry expertise and its global investment and network of businesses. We have always been excited by change and now we are joining forces with Accenture for a new challenge – to provide leading and innovative solutions in a cloud world.”

The deal builds on a string of cloud-related acquisitions closed by Accenture in recent months. In October last year the firm acquired Cloud Sherpas, a cloud advisory and technology services provider in the US and in January 2016 Accenture picked up Netherlands-based CRMWaypoint. Other recent acquisitions include Tquila UK and ClientHouse, both completed in 2015.